Past Topical Lunch Series

All lunches were at 12:00 noon at the University Club, unless otherwise noted

Series One: Spring 2004

Date

Topic & Abstract

February 26, 2004

Meet your friends in the Research Office

An informal lunchtime discussion on how to submit a proposal, facilitated by Franca Cirelli and Rosemary White

March 26, 2004

Thinking About Tenure From the Start

Things you should be doing from the first day on the job. Panel discussion by tenured faculty Joan Peckham, Professor of Computer Science, Emily Carrington, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, and Marta Gomez-Chiarri, Associate Professor of Fisheries & Animal Veterinary Science

April 29, 2004

Work-Work and Home-Work: Making the Connections

Discussion focused on how the trend towards longer empolyment hours in the U.S. has affected how we think about and spend our lives at home. Facilitated by Helen Mederer, Professor & Chair, Sociology

Series Two: Fall 2004

Date

Topic & Abstract

September 22, 2004

ADVANCE One Year Later: Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Come hear how far we’ve come in one year, and what the challenges have been – we’d like to hear your ideas for continued success

October 22, 2004

Discussion of Virginia Valian’s Why So Slow: The Advancement of Women

Virginia Valian,PhD, a psychologist and noted authority on the advancement (or lack) of women in the workplace, will be visiting URI in November. Come discuss her book (whether you’ve read it or not!),facilitated by the ADVANCE team. Limited copies available for loan in the ADVANCE office.

November 5, 2004

Lunch with Virginia Valian

Virginia Valian, PhD, professor of Psychology and Linguistics at Hunter College, CUNY, is author of Why So Slow: The Advancement of Women, as well as a PI on the Hunter College ADVANCE project, and noted authority on gender and the workplace. Valian speaks nationally and abroad on this topic and will be at URI for the day. She will be speaking in the afternoon to the campus. We invite women in STEM to come to an informal lunch with Virginia prior to her talk.

December 3, 2004

What the New Family Leave Policy Means to URI: A Conversation between Women and Men

Join us for a discussion, facilitated by Helen Mederer, on the proposed parental leave policy and its implications for faculty at URI. What have been the consequences in the past for faculty who use family leave? How do we create a climate that supports the use of this policy by all faculty? What is the relevance of family in the academic workplace? Are the answers to these questions different for men than for women?

December 17, 2004

Holiday Lunch Celebration at the ADVANCE Resource Center

Come for some holiday cheer, say goodbye to the fall semester and hello to a relaxing break (hopefully!) 12:00 noon ADVANCE Resource Center

Series Three: Spring 2005

Date

Topic & Abstract

February 17, 2005

Publishing a Paper – Secrets Revealed!

Participants will reveal their secrets for getting a paper accepted and published. Topics may include: selecting a colleague to read over the manuscript, determining the order of co-authors, responding to reviewers and the editor, deciding which comments to take seriously and which can probably be ignored, dealing with conflicting editorial advice (and co-authors), negotiating page charges, and hints for hassle-free electronic submission of figures and tables. Bring your ideas and suggestions for your colleagues.

March 21, 2005

Dual Career Couples at URI -Navigating the System & Policy Update

Members of ADVANCE will present a summary of dual career couple interviews and climate survey results conducted at URI. Policy recommendations based on the work of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women’s Dual Career Partner Subcommittee will be presented, as well as progress to date based on these recommendations. Discussion regarding practical next steps and ethical considerations in the hiring process of dual career couples will follow.

April 22, 2005

Women of Wisdom: Strategies for Senior Women Faculty

Senior and emeritus faculty and administrators will lead a discussion on how senior women can continue to contribute positively to the university. We will welcome Bernice Lott, Professor Emeritus, Psychology, Janett Trubatch, Vice Provost of Graduate Studies, Research, and Outreach, and Cathy Roheim, Professor of the Environmental & Natural Resource Economics

May 13, 2005

Friday the 13th – This is Your Lucky Day!

oops – not so lucky – Postponed

Series Four: Fall 2005

Date

Topic & Abstract

September 23, 2005

ADVANCE Potpourri and Bias Avoidance

A packed agenda! First, we’ll introduce our new faculty, and review our upcoming fall activities. Next, we’ll share a couple of the more interesting results from our climate survey. Finally, we’ll give you a sneak preview of the topic Robert Drago will be speaking on when he visits on ADVANCE Day next month: “bias avoidance”. Have you ever practiced it to get ahead? We bet you’ll say “yes” – come find out about what it is and discuss its implications to women’s career success.

October 31, 2005

Myths, Legends, & Scary Stories – Provost Tips on Succeeding at URI

Are you superstitious? It’s a perfect day to calm fears, debunk myths, and get to the bottom of those scary stories about how to succeed as a faculty member at URI. What do you need to know about negotiating Rhode Island culture? Is it true that a teaching excellence award will hurt your chances for tenure? If you say “no” to your chair, are you doomed? Join Provost Beverly Swan as she shares her thoughts on what really matters. Come with questions!

November 18, 2005

Gender-Sensitive Teaching

We are all products of a gendered society, and we all have internalized, unconscious assumptions about gender roles, no matter how tuned in we may be. Lynn Derbyshire, Chair of Communications Studies, Laura Beauvais, Professor of Business, and Bette Erickson, Director of the Instructional Development Program will form this expert panel discussing how to uncover our hidden assumptions when teaching, and how to teach in a gender sensitive way.

December 9, 2005

How to Find the Best Students

How do you find the best students to work with you in the lab? How do you interest them in your work, get some funding for them, keep them happy and productive . . . and convince them to come to URI and your lab, rather than going elsewhere? How do you help with departmental responsibilities to provide a wide range of undergraduates (of varying abilities) with a quality research experience? The following expert student-snaggers will tell us how: Donna Meyer, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Vic Fay-Wolf, Professor of Computer Science and Statistics, and Candace Oviatt, Professor of Oceanography.

Series Five: Spring 2006

Date

Topic & Abstract

February 2, 2006

Getting Those Papers Out the Door: Tips on Getting Published

Two productive scholars, Dr. Lisa Harlow, Professor of Psychology and Dr. Wayne Velicer, Professor of Psychology at the CPRC, will lead our lunchtime discussion with suggestions for getting your manuscripts completed, submitted, and hopefully accepted by the journal of your choice.

Thursday, February 2, 12:00 noon University Club – RSVP by Jan. 31

March 9, 2006

Get a Life! How to Have a Life and Succeed at Your Job

Sometimes it seems as if there is no time for anything other than work. Our two panelists today, Helen Mederer, Professor & Chair of Sociology /Anthropology, and Peter Swaszek, Professor of Electrical Engineering, provide both personal and professional tips on how to maintain a healthy balance between the demands of a career and all the other activities that contribute to a satisfying life.

Thursday, March 9, 12:00 noon University Club – RSVP by March 7

April 7, 2006

Didn’t I Just Say That ?!? Strategies for Being Heard

Being heard in meetings, and ultimately getting one’s ideas acknowledged and considered, requires some special skills and often just dogged persistence. Dean Winnie Brownell, Dean of Arts and Sciences, Judith Swift, Interim Vice Provost for Academic Affairs (and a theatre director), and Jennifer Specker, Professor of Oceanography, who successfully changed the university’s attitude and funding path for a major facility will all discuss their strategies and what they have learned about being heard.

Friday, April 7, 12:00 noon University Club – RSVP by April 5

May 5, 2006

When to Say Yes and How to Say No: Prioritizing Research, Teaching, and Service

Series 6: Fall 2006

First, we will offer a warm welcome and introductions of new STEM faculty. Next we’ll discuss how research is evolving to be more interdisciplinary and collaborative. Kate Moran, Professor of Oceanography, and Seth Macinko, Assistant Professor, Marine Affairs, will offer advice on how to locate good collaborators for complex, multidisciplinary projects, as well as how to avoid the pitfalls of a mismatched collaboration.

October 12, 2006

Josie and the Technicolor Labcoat: The Experiences of STEM Faculty from Under-represented Groups.

Race and ethnicity, in addition to gender, can offer challenges to STEM faculty from underrepresented groups that are often invisible. Participants will discuss unique situations that scientists of color and from under represented ethnicities must cope with at an institution like URI, and strategies for success in overcoming these obstacles.

November 3, 2006

Research Productivity and Impact: A Discussion with Dr. Stephanie Pfirman.

Can one really have a stellar career and a balanced life? Stephanie Pfirman, a geological oceanographer visiting from Columbia University, has had an outstanding research career, while also teaching, being an administrator, and balancing work and family. Dr. Pfirman will share her insights on successfully “doing it all”. Padma Venkatraman, Graduate School Diversity Coordinator will host.

December 6, 2006

Hold on – I Didn’t Know Gender was a Verb!

Even the best-informed and best-intentioned of us, male and female alike, engage in unconscious sexism, simply because we are products of culture. Barb Silver, ADVANCE Program Director, and Bernice Lott, Professor Emeritus, Psychology, will facilitate a discussion on how we don’t just “have” a gender, but we all “do” gender as well. Of particular interest is how women in STEM unconsciously participate in this behavior and how they can more actively promote public respect for each other.